Those Who Fear Love
by tinkerbelldetention101
Summary: A story in which those who reject love learn the hardest lessons of all.  This is my first story for "Labyrinth," so pretty please leave me a review and let me know what you think!


**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of the characters therein; in other words, if you recognize it, it's not mine and no copyright infringement is intended. I am simply a fanfiction writer manipulating Henson company characters to suit my own desires. Thank you!**

**Prologue: Fire and Ice**

They say the only thing more lingering than a slow death is the slow death of love. They say it's a fire which consumes your soul, trapping your heart, mocking your mind with its tantalizing ideas of a future what little sanity remains to you screams is not possible. You know you cannot have that which you desire, yet your heart screams for it nonetheless.

My dreams came in the form of an ebony haired, green eyed, alabaster skinned 15 year old slip of a mortal girl named Sarah Williams. She had wished her younger half-brother away to my goblins, and had enough gall, enough courage, to stand up to me and ask for him back. Intrigued by her, I challenged her to run Labyrinth, to reach my castle in the center, and win her brother back.

I expected to be entertained by her. I expected to be thwarted from time to time by her. I expected to watch her learn lessons she never knew she needed to learn.

I never expected to fall in love with her.

Danu, save me from myself.

They say love is a sickness. They say it can make you blind, even deaf, to the faults of the one you give your heart to. They say the only cure for it is the total loss of emotion you suffer when the one you love doesn't return the emotion. You know your heart is broken, but it hurts so much less to pretend you don't have one than to admit it's been shattered into more pieces than you can count, usually by your own hand.

My destruction came in the form of a tall, wiry, blond Fae with mismatched eyes. Jareth, the Goblin King. I had wished away my brother Toby, in a fit of jealous rage over the attention he got from our parents and the intrusion into my life he represented. Terrified and immediately remorseful of my hastily-spoken words, I begged for Toby back. He challenged me to run his labyrinth; foolishly, I accepted.

I expected it to be hard. I expected him to be tricky, as all Fae were. I expected him to make the run more difficult than it otherwise would be.

I never expected to fall in love with him.

God help me.

They say there's nothing like two fools in love. They say love is the epitome of emotion, the highest one can go in feeling. They say love is the ultimate triumph in life, that is selflessness overcoming selfishness. You can fight it all you like, but once your heart has decided upon the course of action leading to loving someone else, there is no going back.

Their downfall, their triumph; they were each other's worst mistake and best decision. They were opposites in every manner possible-mortal and immortal, dark and light, male and female, magic and non-magic. She wished, he granted. She begged, he obliged. He challenged, she accepted. He proposed…she ran.

They expected fun, adventure, perhaps some fun memories to recall when boredom overcame them in their old age. He expected a queen in the end. She expected a return home, triumphant, her brother in tow.

Neither of them expected failure, Fate, and love.

Goddess save us all from their ultimate downfall.

**A/N: Yes, yes; for those of you who have read my other work, I'm back! This is my first Labyrinth fic, though I've been writing on the site for around six years now. This idea was actually spawned by a random sleepless night during which I read Labyrinth fanfiction and watched Grey's Anatomy (what a combination, I know!). Please read and review, as the more reviews I receive the more often I write, and I do want to turn this into a chaptered fic (hence the ending!) though I won't if no one will read/review it, so if you'd like me to continue, drop me a line and let me know! Thanks!**


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